A teen driving program coming next Friday tries to save lives By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

For many of us, learning to drive an automobile was a hallmark of our teenage years. Remember the feelings of freedom, independence and maturity during those first few months of driving?

It’s important to also remember the responsibilities and dangers that come with driving. "Is Your Teen Road Ready?," a program scheduled for Fri., Feb. 18 at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, seeks to address those issues.

"This is a very big deal, driving safely and deciding whether or not you live. You have an immense responsibility when you get behind the wheel to yourself, to your passengers and to other drivers on the road," said Stuart Selter of Agoura Hills, one of the program’s organizers.

"Is Your Teen Road Ready?" is in its fifth year of bringing parents and their teenage children together to impress upon them the importance of safe driving. The free program has several components, including a presentation with strong messages from a panel of speakers who range from individuals who’ve lost family or friends in car accidents to representatives from motor vehicle and police departments.

Two out of five deaths among teens in the United States are due to car crashes, according to statistics published by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. In 2001 more than 4,700 teens ages 16 to19 died of injuries caused by car accidents, and the risk for crashes is higher among that age group than any other.

"Is Your Teen Road Ready?" seeks to reduce those statistics. The program was created by Erin Powell, vice principal at Las Colinas Middle School in Camarillo.

It is recommended for parents and their children between the ages of 15 and 20.

"It’s excellent for kids who will soon be driving. It’s also good for kids who’ve just gone off to college and are out on their own for the first time," Powell said. "Our mission is to save lives and support safety in our community."

"I remember what it was like when I was 16 years old and driving. It was fun to be wild and crazy, but there’s also a downside to that," Selter said.

When Powell founded the program, she was a counselor at Agoura High School and during that time saw many students getting into car accidents, some fatal. She felt that students needed to see beyond the excitement of driving and truly understand the perils, and that parents needed to understand how much control they could have over their children’s driving attitudes.

"Parents assume that kids are driving only to and from school and work, but they’re not," said Powell, a Westlake resident. "Parents have a lot of say when it comes to how far they go and what’s acceptable and what’s not."

Sending children to driving school is not enough, added Powell. Parents need to spend time driving with teens in all kinds of weather and road conditions to make sure they are truly ready.

The first two years the program was held in the Agoura High School gym. Interest was so great that Powell decided to expand it to the Conejo Valley community, and this is the third year it will be held at the Civic Arts Plaza. About 700 people are expected to attend.

Today the program is organized and sponsored by a board of directors made up of parents from Agoura, Oak Park, Westlake and Thousand Oaks high schools, the city of Westlake, Road Safety International, Inc. and Safety First Driving School.

Doors open at 5 p.m. for parents and teens to pick up literature and visit the vendor booths, which will include a driving simulator sponsored by Road Safety International, based in Thousand Oaks. The first presentation will run from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by an hour of open time where speakers and vendors will be available to talk one-on-one with parents and students. The second presentation runs from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

"Our hope is that we’re reaching all of the issues and answering all of the questions in parents’ minds and in students’ minds," Powell said.

For information, call (805) 484-0461.